This invention relates to a clip-like member of plastic material.
It is specifically in the automotive industry that lid-like or stopper-like members are used and are inserted into openings in the sheet metal material. It is known to configure such members like clips. In other words, they have resilient snapping portions or the like which are adapted to engage the opposed edge of an opening in order to secure the member in its seat. For instance, it is known to mount tank troughs of plastic material in an appropriate receptacle opening of the automotive body. It is also known to sealingly close holes which serve for making car paint flow out, for instance, with a lid-like stopper subsequently. Such a hole stopper also is mostly formed as a clip.
A low mounting force is aimed at for such members which are lockable via snap-in connections. A high retaining force needs to be achieved at the same time. It is true that the members which are known may be dismounted in most cases. However, since the locking or snapping portion is mostly located on that side of the metal sheet which is inaccessible the member requires to be destroyed in order to dismount it. Then, it will be impossible to use it again.
In many cases, the members are intended to be sealedly seated in the associated opening. It is known to apply extra sealing material to between a flange portion and that area of the carrier which surrounds the opening. However, a separate sealing member will increase the expenditure. It would also be imaginable to adhere a sealing ring or the like to the flange portion. This increases the expenditure as well. For reasons of stability or other reasons, it is mostly desirable that the member be made of relatively solid or hard material. Hard material, however, is difficult to use for realizing sufficient sealing.
It is the object of the invention to provide a clip-like member which can be sealingly inserted into an opening and is easily mountable and dismountable.
The object is achieved by the features of claim 1.
In the inventive clip-like member, a body is provided which is designed to be fluid-tight in an axial direction. A body of this type can be a lid which closes an opening, e.g. one in an automotive body metallic sheet, or a stopper. For instance, holes which allow car paint to flow out and through which car paint will exit after the painting operation are provided in the automotive body. These have to be tightly closed subsequently for reasons of anti-corrosive protection. The body may also be formed by a tank trough which is snapped into the skin of the automotive body. The feature which all bodies have in common is that they are particularly fluid-tight, on their part.
Another feature of the inventive member is that it can be snapped in by means of at least one snapping portion which is formed to the circumference of the body and is elastically deformable relative to the body. The snapping portion has a locking portion which engages the edge of the opening after undergoing temporary deformation and/or warping of the snapping portion while the body is inserted into the opening of the side opposing the flange portion. However, it is also known as such how to mount a body in a hole or opening in such a manner. The fact essential to the invention is that a thin, easily deformable portion which interconnects the locking portion with the body is provided between the snapping portion and the body or the flange portion. The thin, deformable portion is of a continuous shape and, thus, forms a closed portion between the flange portion and the body in the area of the snapping portion.
The fact that the thin portion can be easily deformed and, thus, is also deformed when the snapping portion is temporarily deformed while the body is being inserted does not noticeably increase the insertion force of the member. Therefore, the snapping portion can be designed in such a way that it requires a small mounting force, on one hand, but produces a large retaining force, on the other. Nevertheless, if such a construction is used a complete sealing by the member is obtained in the opening.
Although it is imaginable to form the film or thin portion, which provides for the member to be sealed, from the same material as that of the body. However, according to an aspect of the invention, it is an advantage if the body and the snapping portion are molded from a first material which is relatively hard and the thin portion is formed from a second, elastomeric material in a two-component injection molding step. An elastomeric material has the advantage that it may readily be folded or stretched depending on the direction of stress while the snapping portion undergoes deformation.
Another aspect of the invention provides that a handle portion of the snapping portion projects beyond the thin portion on the same side as the flange portion. In this way, it is possible to dismount the member, starting from the flange side. Any accessibility from the opposite side is unnecessary for disassembly.
The invention is particularly advantageous in an embodiment in which the snapping portion is formed as an arm which is formed to the outer circumference of the body at an axial distance from the flange portion, the arm having a locking shoulder at the outer side thereof which engages the edge of the opening. Mounting it merely requires to pivot the arm, which action requires relatively small forces. When in the mounted position, the arm is acted on by pressure when the member is loaded in the extracting direction. The arm is capable of absorbing a significant stress by pressure before it becomes possible to remove the member from the opening. However, it can be easily dismounted by simply pivoting the arm over the handle portion.
According to a further aspect of the invention, in order to provide tightness between the flange portion and the carrier material as well, it might be an advantage if a sealing portion made of an elastic material, which sealingly engages the associated carrier surface, is molded to the flange portion in a two-component injection mold method.